Saturday, July 12, 2014

Cubs Schedules: The '90s

As we enter the 1990s, most of the earlier Cubs schedule traditions are gone. They are no longer oversized, no longer match the media guide, no longer have the red calendar, and Old Style is sharing the back with several other companies. The times they were a-changin'.

The installation of lights at Wrigley in 1988 meant the Cubs could once again host an All Star game. MLB gave them the game in 1990 and it is prominent on the schedule.

The 1991 schedule has a nice picture of Ryne Sandberg. Ryno had arguably his best season in 1990, so putting him on the schedule made sense.

The 1992 schedule is the only one in my collection that has a horizontal picture. The shot of Wrigley at dusk is pretty cool looking and the same picture is on part of the cover of the media guide.

In `993 we got another shot of Wrigley, this time the marquee.

A nice interior view of Wrigley made the cover of 1994's schedule. Look at the rooftops...no freeloading seats up there yet.

A couple things to point out with the 1995 schedule. First, the picture on the cover is that same one that is on the front of the media guide. That's the first time since 1982 that the two were matched up. Second, notice the red box at the bottom...it says "revised." This schedule came out after the strike was settled and a three weeks of games were lost.

We're back to featuring a players on the cover in 1996, this time its Mark Grace

Another player in 1997, this time Sammy.

Back to the ballpark on the 1998 schedule.

No surprise that Sammy is on the front of the 1999 schedule after the 1998 home run duel he had with Mark McGwire in 1998. Shammy also won the MVP in '98, so just like Dawson on the '88 schedule, Sammy's on the '99.

The major layout change to the schedules happened in 1994 when a sixth fold was added. The schedules have turned into marketing tools. Six folds, two sides means a total of twelve panels. The actual schedule of games takes up only three panels, just a quarter of the schedule. The rest of the panels are the cover, sponsor ads, and ticket and promotional information.

Tomorrow I'm taking a break from the schedules and will have five random Cubs. On Monday its back to the schedules as we enter the 21st century.

About Me

I am a life-long Cubs fan currently in exile in southern Michigan. I have been collecting baseball cards since the fateful Cubs year of 1969. I took a 15 year break from the hobby and returned in 2008.